Taiwan Welcomes NZ Navy's First Taiwan Strait Transit in 7 Years

Defence Minister Judith Collins said the support ship HMNZS Aotearoa sailed through the contested waterway alongside Australia’s HMAS Sydney on 25 September, describing the transit as a routine activity consistent with international law.

Collins added that it was the first time a New Zealand Navy ship had sailed through the Taiwan Strait since 2017, when one of its vessels passed through the strait after departing the Chinese port of Qingdao.

Japanese media reported that the New Zealand-Australian Navy sailings were conducted as a joint exercise with Japan's Self-Defense Force, though Collins did not confirm this.

The foreign ministries of China and Taiwan were both relatively reserved in their responses to the sailing. Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian (林剑) said the passage of the Australian and New Zealand vessels would be handled “in accordance with laws and regulations.”

This is in contrast to the response to the reported Japanese sailing through the strait on the same day. “China is highly vigilant about Japan’s political intentions behind this move and has lodged a protest with the Japanese side,” Lin said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s foreign ministry said they had no comment on the sailing. Defence Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) stated that Taiwan has a “good grasp of the situation” but would not provide further details, according to a statement.

Despite the muted official reactions, two scholars in Taipei welcomed the move. Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies Director Li Da-jung (李大中) said in an email that the sailing represented New Zealand’s “prudent approach” to China.

Li noted that while New Zealand is careful to manage its relationship with China, its largest trading partner, the country’s leaders are also aware of the challenges Beijing poses to national and geopolitical security.

“It is reasonable to assess that Washington would have been fully informed of the plan in advance,” Li said. “We were also very happy to see New Zealand's actions,” he added.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Taipei’s Soochow University, Fang-Yu Chen (陳方隅), remarked that sailings through the Taiwan Strait by New Zealand and Australian ships are relatively common, especially compared to those from Germany or other European countries.

However, he emphasised that the New Zealand Navy’s transit is still important for Taiwan. “We need more countries to put pressure on China and express that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, rather than China’s border,” he said.

The transit follows the German Navy's sailing of two warships through the Taiwan Strait earlier in September, marking the first time the country has done so in 22 years. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius described the sailing as a continuation of Germany’s longstanding commitment to maintaining open international waterways. The action drew harsh condemnation from China and support from Taiwan.

China considers the Taiwan Strait — a major global trade route — an issue of territorial integrity and insists it is not an international waterway. US warships sail through the waterway around once every two months for “freedom of navigation” exercises, which routinely draw rebukes from Beijing.

 -Asia Media Centre